by Gary Schwind

Created on: March 26, 2009   Last Updated: March 27, 2009

The Decemberists fifth studio album (released 24 March) The Hazards of Love begins with "Prelude," which you may not even realize has begun, depending on the volume at which you are listening. It starts as this low-level sort of hum, but builds into a sort of orchestral piece that ends very abruptly. The ending may put you off guard a little bit, but then The Decemberists are all about putting you off guard and giving you the unexpected. Let me put it this way. If The Decemberists was a Major League Baseball pitcher, it would be a curveball specialist.

This is a band that creates very complex, almost mythical songs. Each song feels rather like a novel put to music. The complexity is found not only in the arrangements of songs with multiple layers of instrumentation, but also in the stories of the songs. I do not want to compare The Decemberists to Jethro Tull. Musically, the two bands are nothing alike. However, the stories in the songs of each band are incredibly deep, intricate, and dare I say literary. Also, I do not think it would be out of order to compare the intricacy of the lyrics and instrumentation to that of The Flaming Lips.

The band certainly does not limit itself to one style of music. It is one part folk (banjo in "The Queen's Approach" and "The Hazards of Love 4") , one part rock ("Won't Want for Love," The Queen's Rebuke"), one part Bakersfield country (the waltz "Isn't It a Lovely Night?"), and one part noise rock ("The Wanting Comes in Waves"). While it is all of those things, you could not necessarily file it under any one of them. The Decemberists requires a unique file-under category. Something like "je ne sais quoi folk rock."

Do not think that this is an album you will be able to put on once and judge immediately. This is not an easily digestible album at all. It is broad in scope, encompassing a lot of themes and styles. And with seventeen songs on the album, it is a lot to take in and absorb. So I highly recommend listening to the album more than once before you ultimately make your decision on it. I think it is safe to say that if you listen to it several times, you will be rewarded with a rich listening experience from a band quite unlike any other band in the business today.

The Hazards of Love is available to stream in its entirety on imeem.com. Just think about what a deal that is. You get seventeen unique and well-crafted songs at no cost. The album is also available on iTunes, and through the band's website.

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